Crate Training a Puppy or Dog
Crate Training a Puppy or Dog
by Brittani
(Owensboro, KY)
I am in the beginning stage of crate training my dog Jax. I take him outside twice in the morning and every hour when I come home from work. He will not stop using the bathroom in his crate. He even uses the bathroom in his crate after we just come from outside. What can I do to change this behavior?
Our Response
Hi and thanks for your question – it is such a common problem to have and we will do our very best to answer it and solve your problem. It sounds like your pooch really needs to start the house training (potty training process again). This can sometimes happen but don’t panic too much – ok we will run through some tips below.
1. How old is your puppy as this can make a big difference – a very young puppy is only able to hold his bladder for a short time so will need to be taken out regularly.
2. A crate needs to be big enough for a puppy or dog to stand up and turn around in. If it is too big then your pooch can pee or poop in the corner and still stay dry. It is actually not natural for a dog to mess in the crate as they were trained by their mother when they were in the litter to keep their sleeping are clean.
3. If your puppy is very young then you will need to start a toileting schedule – take notes when your puppy tends to pee or potty as this will give you some idea when to let your puppy out and potty.
4. In this case I would probably move the crate to a new area in the House and even get a new one so that he knows this is a new potty training regime and won’t associate the new crate with the old one.
5. Remember that a puppy is always likely to have some accidents throughout the start of any training regime and during the aging process hormones are changing and male puppies may exhibit behavioral changes whether this is leg raising or pushing the boundaries around you and the family.
6. In your situation it might be that your dog just doesn’t know why he is going outside to potty. You will need to tell him – start by attaching a leash to him and while using the toilet schedule say ‘Potty Time’ and take him outside. When he looks like he is about to poop or pee say ‘Poop Time’ and give him lots and lots of praise and maybe a little play-time too. Your aim is for your dog or puppy to pee in the time you have given him. Remember that you should give him a certain amount of time to potty – don’t give him 30 minutes on a Monday and then expect him to do his business in 5 minutes on the Tuesday.
7. If your pooch doesn’t go in the allotted time put him in his crate for ten minutes – as soon as he looks like he is about to potty take him outside using the tips above. Remember no longer than ten minutes – after this time take him outside using the tips above.
8. Another very successful obedience training technique is to use a leash attached to your pooch and then attached to you – this means that everywhere that your puppy goes after coming back inside you will be there too and as soon as he is about to pee or poop you use the techniques previously out lined i.e say ‘Potty Time’ take him straight outside and go through the aforementioned process.
9. Remember regular exercise and lots of it is a great way to tire out a dog and get them used to pooping outside.
10. Try puppy or dog training classes as they are a great place to pick up tips from people who have ad similar problems.
Hope all of his helps and the very best of luck – it is a common problem that will normally pass as a puppy gets older. I have enclosed some links below too to give you some extra tips and advice.
